Some members of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) in Bushenyi district have petitioned the party’s national chairperson Yoweri Museveni to reign in on activities of the district party chairperson before he harm’s the party’s vision.
In an August 26 petition titled ‘the unbecoming behavior of the district NRM chairperson’, the members cite a number of offenses committed by Al Hajji Hassan Basajjabalaba in violation of the party’s constitution.
For instance, they say, the chairman has been partial during primaries, he’s disrespecting party leaders and candidates, and openly bribing voters. He’s also being accused of flouting Covid-19 guidelines by conducting rallies that have attracted large numbers.
“These actions and conduct are detrimental to good behavior, unity, and continuity of our party and threaten our highly projected performance of our National Party Presidential Flagbearer and the NRM party in general,” reads the petition in part.
According to the petitioners, Basajjabalaba has also orchestrated attacks on party candidates he doesn’t support, with some already in the hospital. “The chairman has recruited a group of hooligans he has sponsored to engage in violent activities that have left four people badly injured and currently hospitalized at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital in critical conditions,” says Yassin Kyota, the NRM chairperson Ishaka Division.
Against the background, the petitioners appealed to President Museveni to exercise his authority and prevent Basajjabalaba from further destroying the party Apollo Kakonge, the executive director of Western Ankole Civil Society Forum (WACSOF), says that by the end of NRM primaries, most candidates will have thought of standing on independent tickets because of the actions of the chairman.
However, Hassan Basajjabalaba says the accusations levied against him are not true. He says he’s always condemned election violence and, as for bribing voters, he says he was rewarding NRM sub-county chairpersons for helping Museveni return to power in 2016.
It’s a promise he had made then, he said. He also says that some party members like Annet Katusiime Mugisha are fighting him for insisting that they deliver academic credentials before being approved to run. Katusiime is running as district Woman MP against Karoro Okurut.
